the weather inside me

we can do it: the capricorn dark moonie

 You'll feel like a total grump today and tomorrow if you're not working hard at your New Plan For A New You. Capricorn Moon loves work and loves a plan. So find something practical and do-able today and get crackin'. It's the only cure for what ails ya.

Dark Moon phase (the end of a moon cycle) favors finishing projects and culling redundant/obsolete anything from your life. Thinking Capricornly: what authority issue, work detail, tool(s), objet de travaille, or goal needs revision or dumping? 

Cappy Moon also gets a little pixie dust blessing from Jupiter in Pisces Dreamland configuration today, so believe the effort will pay off. Just do the work.

Note to anyone with Cap Sun/Rising/or Moon: YOU are NOT the one needing dumping. For once take a pass on the guilt-factor and decide it's not your issue. Declare "time-out" this Dark Moon phase and go move your boundary markers.

how you handling the dreamtime?

The Dreamtime (my term for this unusual astro weather) is peaking this week.

This is the Dreamtime attitude done right: complex, creative, playful, and a little ironic redesign of a known standard.

 

This is the Dreamtime attitude done wrong (please note the caption):

the aquarian crazy love duet

Two Sun sign Aquarians meet and it's all about the hot, hot, hot revolution, doncha know.

Love Tips for Aquarians (short enough to write on your hand!):

1. smile (warmly)
2. try listening
3. find an emotion; emote
   

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is marketing a kind of black magic?

Apropos of last week's Venus/Neptune/Nessus/Chiron themes of social/sexual abuse and manipulation, I had a thought about marketing this morning. I was inspired by a picture of Disney's latest villain, Dr.Facilier.

Love the name. He's the black magic purveyor of easy answers. Facilier. Facile, in French, means "easy". Sometimes a synonym for "coordinated". Also related to facade, or outer face, or mask.

So outwardly, the voodoo man offers you a quick and easy solution to your troubles. But it's sham, a quick fix, a lie. That's the temptation of black magic. 

And what's black magic? It's got lots of definitions. But they all have something in common: the promise of a quick fix and the power to get inside your head and use knowledge to lead you where you may not have normally gone. This is different from naturally arising curiosity. Somebody has a vested interested in you, but it's not you --it's about them. In short, it's a head-trip you didn't pack for and yet, you're going somewhere.

Dr. Facilier is a hum-dinger of a controversial kids' character on several levels. I know conservative evangelicals are going nuts over the voo-doo and tarot stuff he plays with. But geez, guys: how different is his head trip from the one marketers plant on us?

Billions of dollars go to a kind of black magic every day: we call it "marketing". Wanna know how Mom A will likely spend her baby food budget? Wanna get Mom A to spend all her money on your baby food product? Get inside her head. Play on her fears. Promise her whatever she wants.

Tell her Baby will be smarter and healthier than all the other babies in the nursery. Imply that Baby might one day go to a big, fancy name-brand college some day just because Baby ate your baby food. Give the baby food a promising name, too: it helps if you can use "Einstein" somewhere in the marketing.

Then offer Mom A a year's membership at a fancy spa and gym so she can work off that embarrassing baby fat --if only she keeps on buying your Einstein Magical Mashed Eggplant. Never mind that Mom A comes from good German stock and will forevermore look like an apple now that she's post-baby. Never mind Baby's still unspoken personal dreams. Never mind.

What YOU want doesn't matter. Just buy the damned baby food and make us rich already. See? It's easy.

Oh, black magic is everywhere.

happy birthday, evangeline adams

Evangeline Adams was the first celebrity astrologer, and we have her to thank for the "legalization" of astrology. Yes, it was once illegal to study and practice astrology. Even though she was incredibly popular, Adams was serious about her craft. The wiki on this woman does no credit to her contributions.

But her popularity attracted trouble, and according to the wiki:

Adams was arrested twice in New York for fortune telling, in 1908 and May 1914. Although practicing astrology was not legalized at that time, Adams was later acquitted in 1914 after she gave the judge an accurate astrology reading describing the character of his son- just from a birthdate^[1]. Newspapers quoted the judge as saying that Adams "had raised astrology to the dignity of an exact science."

Even today astrology is hugely misunderstood. Few people would say astrology is an "exact science" but back in the day when B.F.Skinner and that lot were touting the "science" of behavorialism and the new standardized tests, astrology got the "science" treatment, too. Just yesterday I spent an hour browsing through the metaphysical shop in town that carries used copies of old astrology books. There's a shelf full of old Evangeline Adams and Alan Leo, etc. stuff from the 20's and 30's. Almost every one them has "science" in the title.

And yeah, you can stop all the 70's/80's stuff because "new age" is on the spine somewhere. Funny.

moving away from group shaming

Venus is finally moving away from the Nessus/Neptune conjunction in Aquarius. These three met over the weekend, and talked about how much it hurts to always feel like the weirdo and the un-pretty one.

There's nothing like being an outcast.

I say this as the girl who chose to do her sophomore year biology class oral report on sexually transmitted diseases. By the time I was sixteen I'd decided that if I was always going to be the one left out of the kick-ball game, I might as well use my time for more productive purposes. Like being able to say "penis" in front of a class full of 15 and 16 year olds and my teacher without giggling.

Being an outcast can have its benefits. One of them is, you get to think and do things other people are too fearful or embarrassed to approach. But somebody has to say "boo".

Sometime in my twenties I lost that edge. I adopted a kind of group shame, I suppose. I became aware that some standard applied to the sex experience. Problem was, I couldn't figure out what "good sex" was supposed to be, and everyone around me was just as clueless as I was. I had become sexually active --though just barely-- and all that earlier bravado vanished. No longer was sexuality an abstraction to talk about, I had to apply my knowledge in situ. More importantly, I had to face emotional intimacy. That was a whole 'nuther truckload of duckies.

As confused as I was about what I wanted with sex, I had even fewer positive (read: realistic) examples of emotional intimacy. Not surprisingly, sex --the rite of adulthood and independence-- was disappointing and emotionally disorienting. Not as much fun as I had hoped.

Then my body changed. I had a baby, and my body changed again. And I moved to a socially conservative part of the world. Somewhere in that time I split away from my emotions, and then, urged on by the assumptions and temperament of my peers in the community, split away from my body, too.

But my world wasn't much different that yours. We had our pure pilates princesses (throw in your yoga queens where you are) and then there was everyone else. Everyone else had too little time and too many obligations on their hands to bother much with perfect bodies. Some of us obsessed about cellulite, but I gave up on the whole thing. Geez, just enjoy that slice of cake, girl.

I was an outcast because I took on more than a sliver of cake and then dared to openly enjoy it.

Then Pluto arrived. My Pluto/Moon transit pulled all that old stuff straight to the surface. I found that old bravado, and a bit of that old audacity and curiosity. A Pluto transit will definitely push your sex buttons, some of which may not have felt any pressure in ages.

Enter Planet Waves. I really have to thank Eric for the honesty and frankness of his dedication to sex education and the restoration of authentic sexual curiosity and expression. He's not a technician of sex; he and his team of writers always bring emotion, spirit and playfulness into the picture. I'm not into everything he's into, but I know he's not gonna shame me for my reservations. He's not that kind of rebel.

I haven't answered all my old questions about good sex, nor have I entirely shed my body fat/good cake dilemma but I have traveled MILES toward a healthier mental self-concept about sex. Which is where sex starts --in your head. It's good to get the plumbing up there somewhat cleared before you engage the plumbing below.

I've also traveled miles in my mind another way: I'm willing once again to assert my differences. I don't expect what turns me on will turn you on. Yet, I'm not willing to abandon my preferences just because they make you feel funny inside. To each his own, as my great crazy aunt Mary would say.

We see sex used to sell everything --from quick cooking rice to tiling grout-- and yet we demand --would even legislate-- everyone want the same kind of sex in the bedroom. How nuts is that? We want your money, but not your joy. That's the take-away, folks.

So. If this is you, if you are curious and frustrated with your concepts of "good sex" and emotional intimacy --if you feel bad about what you're getting (or not getting), if you have body fat/good cake dilemmas, how about a little Planet Waves for what ails ya?

Here's a good place to start: Body Image: Beyond the Gospel According of Darkness. A talk about body image and sexual chemistry.

And another great article: Unraveling The Mystery of Self-Esteem.

And if you're going for the full degree: A Crazy Little Thing Called Compersion. (If you were taught that unconditional love meant Jesus hanging on the cross, just try letting your lover have his own sexual fantasies/experience without judgment and without including you at the center.)

Still to come: Venus encounters Jupiter. Hooray.

if you're curious about that "snowmageddon" in our nation's capitol...

Snow was not the deluge I had in mind. But oh, my lord...

Deucalion's flood story (see yesterday's post) is often a marker for climactic events, and it shouldn't be ruled out in an extraordinary event like this one. The stationing of smaller space objects typically bring them into focus for a few days.

This weekend Duecalion stationed at 9+ degrees Scorpio. This squares the current retrograde Mars. Now for the picture.

Here's the chart for the District of Columbia, (aka Washington D.C.). (click on it to expand the image)

Note the little right-side up horseshoe on the left side of the chart below the 9 o'clock position on the circle. This is the glyph (or symbol) for the North Node. Note that is at 6+ degrees Scorpio. Deucalion is stationing retrograde at 9+ degrees Scorpio. You can't see a symbol for Deucalion in the outer ring (my software doesn't provide one), so please imagine it there. It's there.

So Deucalion is stationing retrograde within three degrees of D.C.'s North Node. The North Node is about the future, remember? The growth point. Three degrees is a little bit wide for a small object conjunction, but as Deucalion is now moving backward toward the North Node, it's heading in an applying direction and thus, more influential. We'll forgive the three degree spread.

Deucalion and the North Node also sharing space (by transit) in the first house. The first house, among other things, gives us a picture of a person, place or thing's appearance. Washington does seems to have changed its look in the past 48 hours.

Deucalion's stationing is within one degree of an exact square to D.C.'s Uranus at 8+ degrees Leo. Uranus describes unexpected events and personal individuality. Here Uranus functions in the area of public affairs --the Capricorn (government) ruled 10th house. So business as usual is unexpectedly interrupted with this snow flood. (Uranus in Leo tells us a lot about this independent kingdom. Will it ever be assimilated into the state system? I don't think so. Too much pride (Leo) of independence (Uranus) for this little fiefdom. It's public persona depends on this.)

And finally, retrograde Mars in Leo, currently at 6+ degrees, is in an exact square to D.C.'s North Node. Throw in this lil' deluge and you've got some gear-grinding this weekend: plans stalled out, plans re-arranged or ditched. The normal disruptions of a big storm -- power outages, people out of pocket, and doubtful resources. Is there enough canned soup in the pantry? And will we have to eat it cold?

Ah, lord. What a thought. Somebody's senator stuck powerless for a day --literally-- in their D.C. condo, eating cold soup from a can. It'd be like micro-micro Haiti. Very micro.

But this is Washington D.C., not Abiline, Texas. Washington, the symbolic capitol of the free world. Washington, the metonymical by-word of democracy and Western power. Even the little stuff means big stuff in this town. What happens in Washington does NOT stay in Washington.

If I was writing a pulp novel about this, it'd be about a secret group of anarchists (Scorpio square Uranus) and the plans they proposed, if implemented, would change the course of our nation (North Node). But the storm sweeps in as the unexpected antagonist.

If I was a preacher, I'd preach about the need for all our nation's sins washed away white as snow. I'd call for a day of rest and reflection. That perhaps the Lord had sent us this miracle to call our hearts back to the work at hand, reminding us that as much as we try, we are not masters of the universe. (Again, a North Node. What's the spiritual future of our nation?)

And if I was a kid (or a kid at heart) I'd be digging out my snow gloves. (My immediate future's looking pretty white! No school! No train service!)

For all of us who don't have 28 inches of snow to dig out from, it's is a pretty good story, huh? But if I trust the symbolism of astrology, I really wonder how much fiction I just imagined. I bet the reality is a lot more interesting.

a flood just right of center in dreamland

Since the retrograde Leo Mars is still our major player --and we're still officially in Dreamland-- I thought I'd look up any exact aspects in the minor space stuff to our lion friend.

Turns out, there's a couple and they're interesting.

First, our Lion is quindecile to the North Node until Valentine's day. The quindecile defines a specialized, sometimes even obsessive, preoccupation in a chart. At 165 degrees, it doesn't quite make it as an opposition. Instead, it can feel like something off-center in your life that never confronts you and forces a discussion, like an opposition would suggest, but just hangs out in your line of vision always. A bit like a guiding star. This could show up as obsession or simple dedication.

So. Retrograde Leo Mars is making a long quindecile aspect to the North Node. The North Node is the doorway to the future. Capricorn is the current North Node theme. Thus, as we are pushed to reshape our Leo functions we will find ourselves encountering Capricorn themes or people --especially this coming week.

Leo functions: ego identity/heart expression/leadership/creativity and self-dramatization/children, childhood and play!

Capricorn functions: profession/family foundations/practical innovation/dedication to long-term growth/corporate identity (public groups)/government/skeletal structure/father

The quindecile aspect will keeps this Leo-Capricorn-Future dialog firmly right of center in your field of vision. Which could be inspiring or a little unnerving, depending on how you like bright stars.

However, Mars in retrograde makes unpredictable energy. So this "star" imagery could generate some unexpected responses. As Eric Francis pointed out in his Friday essay, Mars retrograde can uncover repressed or unexpressed internal anger. Certainly, as a nation, we have a lot of unexpressed anger toward our governmental and corporate institutions. Mars retrograde in Leo is helping us get in touch with our real feelings about this. Leo teaches us to say, "I matter." We could apply this to our public and private selves, equally. "I matter" matters a lot in relationships of any kind.

During this weekend in Dreamtime, our Leo Mars will make a square to the minor planet Deucalion, which is stationing retrograde tomorrow. Deucalion is the Noah story of a world deluged and nearly destroyed, Greek style. Flooding and water imagery plays a big role here. But in astrology, water imagery usually brings us emotional energy rather than literal floods. A retrograde point brings this emotional energy inward.

But the promise of grace, a kind of spiritual sympathy and fidelity to one another is also implied by Deucalion and Noah's story. For many, it is the story of covenant --and a plan for a better tomorrow. But, if you remember your Noah story, the situation demanded a total rebuild. The world, as they perceived it, was washed away. No buildings, no orchards, no flocks of sheep by night... There's a bit of Pluto in that image, y'know?

Philip Sedgewick suggests Deucalion stands in for

"...our understanding the flow (tides of life), manifestation ability, magical, resourceful, and seeing the talent in everyone." [or alternately] "Feeling overwhelmed, not able to tread water (keep up with life), being financially irresponsible, and feeling the burden of humanity."

Watershed. That's the word. An emotional watershed or awakening that brings us closer to an authentic voice, an authentic heart. Some part of our ego structure, or outward sense of identity, could find itself in a deluge of emotion that sweeps away the corrupted or false personality we don't need for the future.

The watershed could be as simple as a single revelation over a morning cup of coffee, or as challenging as a conversation you've put off for months. It could be a moment of enlightenment in prayer, or it could be the image of a beautiful child at play that inspires your work in a new direction. Likely during the Dreamtime, it will come in an unexpected moment that demands we adjust our expectation and assumptions.

My favorite part of the Deucalion story is this: after the flood and the land dried, Deucalion went out with his wife and whenever they found the bones of the previous world, Pryrra (Deucalion's wife) would pick them up and throw them over her shoulder; and thus, the new race of men were born.

The take-away here? Old bones make good soup. Even something new can grow from the dead parts of us. All we gotta do is toss 'em over our shoulder and keep on walking. Life will find a way.

More on Monday: The Finger of God returns as the Venus/Jupiter/Moon confab of lurv.

Have a good weekend, folks.

Top image: Can you find Polaris (the North Star) in the photo? It's just right of center.

Bottom image: Deucalion and Phyrra create the new world.

two weeks of dreamtime

We in the midst of a long-ranging story involving the current Mars Leo and Jupiter Pisces alignment. Today we'll talk about the axis point of this story. It's a turning point that will last through the next two weeks and emerge into concrete changes in mid-March/April and again in August/early September.

Welcome to the dreamtime.

The aspects invite the irrational and non-linear into our lives. We decide things not because we have all the facts on the table before us, but because we have a gut feeling it's the right choice to make. Our explanations can only bring forth a shrug: "I felt like it, you know?" 

They also demand that we make a choice. We have to make choices. The aspects are called Yods, or "The Finger of God". Yeah, kind of spooky. If you've got one in your natal chart, you definitely feel its influence because it's a place in your life that demands you negotiate its function if you want its benefits. And the benefits are plenty if you don't fight the negotiations.

Through the next two weeks we have two Yods working, both sharing contact points with Jupiter newly into Pisces and Mars still retrograde in Leo.

The two themes involved: reconstruction of ego identity/heart's courage/creative expression and the faith to pull it off. Buttressing the faith and heart themes are Saturn and Pluto, underscoring the on-going theme of evolving relationship models.

How do you want to relate to others differently? What can you put your full faith and heart behind --assuming you've got a heart and some faith to use? You've been rediscovering some of that vision this past fall and winter, no doubt.

A week or so I said that belief always has one foot planted on the floor in some sort of dogma, but faith sweeps both feet off the floor and you with it. This month isn't about belief (having some proof-text for your ideas), but about faith. A part of your life is demanding change. And the scariest part for some of us (especially our Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio parts and friends) is the idea that we'll get swept off our feet and land in a place where we feel we have no control.

The next two weeks you will probably face that part of your life with more than a little faith that you're changing in the right direction. Or you will question your faith in the matter --over and over.

Can you really pull this off? I don't think that's the right question. What might be the better question is this: Assuming this can happen, what roadblocks (mental/relational/financial) need to go? How can I get out of my own way?

Next week some pretty sweet potential is heading our way. I'm thinking we'll be a lot less nervous or doubtful next week. For you fixed sign people, next week might be a balm to your nerves. This sort of change is hardest for you.

Whatever your personality, remember this is the dreamtime. Not a "do" time, a dreamtime. The "do" will come later. Right now, release and dream.

the thing update

Any sparky revelations or strange creatures come through your door yesterday?

Apart from discovering my friend's refrigerator was full of decomposing vegetables --and I mean really full coz this girl does the raw food thing-- my day went peacefully. Mom (me) didn't get lost at Costco, but I did disappear into another person's apartment.

And then this morning woke to find Facebook has almost completely reformatted it's interface.

Also, friend rang up around the end of the void period to explain how she spent the day realizing why she'd begun gravitating to celebrity gossip and bad food blogs. Her reason? George Bush. That was a Thing 2 conversation in itself.

So no disasters, but Uranus/Aquarian energy does bring surprises and revelations. No guarantee of size.